Training Presentation
Quality in Government
Task: Increasing Quality
Awareness in Government
Managers
Kevin McGinnis
Increasing quality awareness:
• Review of basic quality
improvement efforts in
manufacturing environments.
• Problems/Cliches that have
limited improvement efforts
Review of basic efforts:
Failure to implement quality
systems:
• “New politicians don’t accept
predessors programs, even if they
work”
• Quality improvements and
government don’t mix well.
• Government tends to maintain
traditional practices
Historical private sector
efforts:
• Focus on quality improvements
to regain lost market share to
Japanese during ’70s and 80s
led to mainly different methods
for companies to approach
improvements.
Failures to implement:
• Fear of failure
• “Cowboy Management”
• Lack of understanding between
bosses and employees
• Ego – “I” over “We”
• Low expectations of union and
employee involvement
• Effort to implement is hard
Tools for improvement
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Reinvent the Commission
Labor-Management Committees
Quality Teams
Quality of Life Work
TQM
Reinvent the Commision
• Use representatives from the
affected issue – unionists,
businessmen, and the front-line
workers
• Reorganize agencies, institute
competitive bidding, allow
privatization
Labor-Management
Committees
• Use equal representation of
labor and management
• Use trial periods for evaluation
of a procedure
• Responsibility of joint activities
to those responsible for
bargaining and administering
the collection agreements
Quality Teams
Small groups of employees that
voluntarily meet to identify and
analyze problems, and
recommend solutions.
Quality of Life Work
Joint union-management
agreements designed to
improve organizational
effectiveness as well as
working conditions.
TQM
– “Customer” focus
– Employee involvement and
empowerment
– Work processes and systems
– Continuous improvement
Brainstorming Exercise:
Department of Energy Mission Statement:
“The Department of Energy, in partnership with our customers, is
entrusted to contribute to the welfare of the Nation by providing
the technical information and the scientific and educational
foundation for the technology, policy, and institutional leadership
necessary to achieve efficiency in energy use, diversity in energy
sources, a more productive and competitive economy, improved
environmental quality, and a secure national defense.”
• How can those tools be used in to help the
Department of Energy achieve its mission?
Exercise: DOE
• What strategic plans and goals can
be developed for the department’s
mission?
• Determine what measurements you
need to monitor your progress
towards meeting the goal.
• Analyze results and output, and
refine plans.
The Nuts and Bolts:
• Leadership must be involved, and take
responsibility
• Training must be made a priority for
employees to perform their tasks as
defined
• The “Customer” must be represented, and
their voice must be heard in how to
improve our processes
Real world examples –
D.O.E.
• Time for investigations of
hazardous substance releases
reduced by INEEL from 40
weeks to 17 weeks by
performing tasks concurrently
instead of sequentially, and
reducing wait times. $17,000
saved on each report.
Real world examples –
D.O.E.
• A reduction of 16,235 clerical
hours to 5,411 hours was made
from a suggestion to implement
a timekeeping process that a
Quality Team develop in concert
with customers in Richmond, CA
Real world examples –
D.O.E
• Process to approve local
contractor salary action
reduced from 30 days to 2 days
by identifying the specific
criteria needed for all proposals
Real world examples –
IRS
• Action on recommendations
from quality improvement teams
toward better customer service,
effectiveness, and productivity
resulted in savings of over $11
million
Real world examples – Air
Force Logistics Command
• On time delivery rate for
contract line items rose from
65% in 1988 to 79% in 1990
Recognizing Performance Efforts
Presidential Quality Award
Criteria:
Presidental Award For
quality: Criteria
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Leadership
Information and Analysis
Strategic Quality Planning
Human Resource Development and
Management
• Management of Process Quality
• Quality and Operational Results
• Customer Focus and Satisfaction
Summary
• An increase in performance
being demanded
•Budgets are decreasing
•Leaders are moving for
improvements, and are
“reinventing government”
Resources and readings used
to prepare presentation:
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The Role of Quality Tools in Improving Satisfaction with
Government by S. Thomas Foster Jr., Boise State University, Larry W.
Howard, Middle Tennessee State University, and Patrick Shannon, Boise
State University, from Quality Management Journal, Vol. 9, Issue 3, Jul 2002
Redesigning Government - The AFSCME Approach to Workplace
Change – Guide by AFCSME Councils, Gerald W. McEntee – International
President, William Lucy – Internaltional Secretary and Treasurer
Total Quality Management Guidelines – US Dept of Energy – Jun
1994
Quality Improvement and Government: Ten Hard Lessons From
the Madison Experience By David C. Couper Chief of Police, City of
Madison, WI
NPR Report – Creating Quality Leadership and Management –
Accompanying report of the National Performance Review – Office
of the Vice President, Sep 1993